As we read through our yearly Bible reading,(join us daily Bible In A Year Daily Readings)
we find ourselves again reading Daniels famous prayer:
Daniel’s Prayer for His People
9 It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.[a] 2 During the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from reading the word of the Lord, as revealed to Jeremiah the prophet, that Jerusalem must lie desolate for seventy years.[b] 3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.
4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:
“O Lord, you are a great and awesome God! You always fulfill your covenant and keep your promises of unfailing love to those who love you and obey your commands. 5 But we have sinned and done wrong. We have rebelled against you and scorned your commands and regulations. 6 We have refused to listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke on your authority to our kings and princes and ancestors and to all the people of the land.
7 “Lord, you are in the right; but as you see, our faces are covered with shame. This is true of all of us, including the people of Judah and Jerusalem and all Israel, scattered near and far, wherever you have driven us because of our disloyalty to you. 8 O Lord, we and our kings, princes, and ancestors are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. 9 But the Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him. 10 We have not obeyed the Lord our God, for we have not followed the instructions he gave us through his servants the prophets. 11 All Israel has disobeyed your instruction and turned away, refusing to listen to your voice.
“So now the solemn curses and judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured down on us because of our sin. 12 You have kept your word and done to us and our rulers exactly as you warned. Never has there been such a disaster as happened in Jerusalem. 13 Every curse written against us in the Law of Moses has come true. Yet we have refused to seek mercy from the Lord our God by turning from our sins and recognizing his truth. 14 Therefore, the Lord has brought upon us the disaster he prepared. The Lord our God was right to do all of these things, for we did not obey him.
15 “O Lord our God, you brought lasting honor to your name by rescuing your people from Egypt in a great display of power. But we have sinned and are full of wickedness. 16 In view of all your faithful mercies, Lord, please turn your furious anger away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. All the neighboring nations mock Jerusalem and your people because of our sins and the sins of our ancestors.
17 “O our God, hear your servant’s prayer! Listen as I plead. For your own sake, Lord, smile again on your desolate sanctuary.
18 “O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins. We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
19 “O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act! For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”
Gabriel’s Message about the Anointed One
20 I went on praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, pleading with the Lord my God for Jerusalem, his holy mountain.
-
Context: Daniel prays this prayer after recognizing from Jeremiah’s prophecies that the period of desolation for Jerusalem would last seventy years (Daniel 9:2). This realization prompts him to seek God with prayer, fasting, and repentance.
-
Content of the Prayer:
-
Acknowledgment of God’s Greatness (v. 4): Daniel begins by praising God for His greatness and faithfulness to His covenant.
-
Confession of Sin (v. 5-11): He confesses the sins of his people, Israel, acknowledging their wickedness, rebellion, and failure to heed God’s words through the prophets.
-
Recognition of God’s Righteousness (v. 7, 14): Daniel acknowledges that God’s judgments are just, even though Israel has suffered because of their sins.
-
Plea for Mercy (v. 16-19): He pleads for God’s mercy not because of Israel’s righteousness but because of God’s great compassion. He urges God to act for His own sake, to restore Jerusalem and His people, who bear His name.
-
-
Outcome: While Daniel is still praying, the angel Gabriel comes to him with a message, which includes the famous prophecy of the “seventy weeks” (Daniel 9:20-27), providing insight into future events concerning Jerusalem and the coming Messiah.
-
Model of Prayer: It serves as a model for intercessory prayer, showing how one can approach God with humility, confession, and earnest supplication on behalf of others.
-
Theological Insight: It highlights the theological understanding of sin, repentance, and divine mercy within the Jewish tradition.
-
Impact: The prayer directly leads to divine revelation, showing the power and effectiveness of prayer in moving God’s plans forward.
This prayer underscores themes of repentance, divine faithfulness, and the importance of aligning one’s life and nation with God’s will, which are still relevant for contemporary spiritual practices.
I believe this prayer is of great consequence for the United States of America, as we as a nation have sinned, and must repent and fully return to JESUS.
